Paul George injury update, Paul George season debut, Philadelphia 76ers, Sixers
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Paul George has yet to make his season debut for the Philadelphia 76ers while recovering from knee surgery he underwent over the offseason.
Despitethe strong startfor the Philadelphia 76ers tobegin the season, theteam has been pretty unhealthy. While Joel Embiid, Jared McCain, and Paul George have missed time, it’s been the young stars of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Quinten Grimes leading the way.
But while they have been without some of their veterans, the most recent news out of Philadelphia is a brightlight forwhat has been one of the least healthy teams in the NBA over the past decade.
It was announced by Shams Charania of ESPN that Georgeis set to make his season debut for the Sixers against the Los Angeles Clippers. The 35-year-old has yet to play this season after undergoing knee surgery over the offseason, but he now appears ready to take the floor for the first time this year.
Shams Charania
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George is expected to make his season debut at home tonight against his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN. George has rehabilitated offseason left knee surgery.
“Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul Georgeis expected to make his season debut at home tonight against his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN,” the insider wrote in a post on X. “George has rehabilitated offseason left knee surgery.”
George joined the Sixers in the summer of 2024, signing a four-year, $212 million contract with the team after four seasons in Los Angeles.Heonly played in half of Philadelphia’s games last seasonwith other injuries, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 43% shooting, nearly all of which were decade-long lows.
Paul George Set To Make Season Debut
The arrival of George with the Sixers hasn’t exactly gone as planned. Philadelphia made the push to sign the nine-time All-Star after his failed experiment with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, but so far, it has been the same story in The City of Brotherly Love.
Regardless, Philadelphia looks like a different team this season, with Maxey, Edgecombe, Grimes, and Kelly Oubre taking on larger roles while Embiid has taken a backseat. While it is still unknown how George will look or fit with the revamped cast of younger players, like Embiid, perhaps limiting his minutes is the best place for the team to start.
But in terms of his recovery, it has been a slow process for George. There was the expectation that he would miss a decent chunk of this season, but a recent reevaluationproved to be a good sign for the team.
“76ers’ Paul George is in the final stage of his debut process and willbe re-evaluated later this week,” Charania reported on November 11. “He is moving closer to a return, but doctors want additional strength of his left quadriceps to support the knee before clearance.”
Shams Charania
76ers’ Paul George is in the final stage of his debut process and will be re-evaluated later this week. He is moving closer to a return, but doctors want additional strength of his left quadriceps to support the knee before clearance.
George was then listed as questionable for the upcoming game against the Clippers andwas reported to go through shootaround the morning of the contest. Thatwas then followed by Charania’s latest announcement of his expected season debut.
Sixers Young Stars Leading The Way
CBS Sports reports that George will possibly have a minimal role on the Sixers as he works back from the surgery and long-term recovery. In his place so far have been Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow, and the recently rising Justin Edwards. Though they could see a drop in minutes with George’s return, they will likely still have decent-sized roles on the team, as seen through their extended play in the first few weeks of the season.
But aside from them, it has mostly been Maxey leading the way. Though he was already named an All-Star in 2024, the 25-year-old has taken a significant jump this season. Through 12 games, Maxey is averaging a league-fourth 32 points per game, along with 5.1 rebounds and 7.8 assists on 45.4% shooting.
It’s by far thebiggest rolehe’s had through the first six seasons of his NBA career, but now, in his fourth-straight season averaging at least 20 points per game, Maxey appears to be making his first case at the MVP award.
The Sixers have also seen strong production out of Edgecombe, who they selected third overall in the most recent draft. While he’s tapered off from his incredible start to his career, the rookie is averaging 15.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
Grimes and Oubre are also putting up theirstrongest numbers in recent years and have been valuable players for the obviously injured Philadelphia team. Embiid hasbeen limited, but he also remains a key player for the Sixers’ success.
The addition of George back in the lineup could prove beneficial, but it is hard to say that with his return, head coach Nick Nurse will take the ball out of Maxey’s hands any more than he has already.